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Becoming an Intentionally Intercultural Church

Explore tensions faced by churches transitioning to intercultural identities. Address issues like cultural ignorance, exclusion, and balancing ideals with realities. Learn from scriptural ideals and practical strategies. Join the discussion and activities to foster an intercultural church community.

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Becoming an Intentionally Intercultural Church

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  1. Becoming an Intentionally Intercultural Church www.interculturalchurch.org

  2. Session 1: The Dynamics of Transition

  3. Understanding the Tensions T E N S I O N S • What tensions surface as a church transitions towards an intercultural identity? • How do we reconcile the ideal and the real?

  4. Issues Experienced T E N S I O N S • Cultural ignorance • Language barriers • Ethnically based stereotypes • Passive racism • Economic partiality

  5. Issues Experienced T E N S I O N S • Exclusion of minorities from leadership • Distinct differences in worldview and spiritual expectations • Social partition

  6. The Challenge T E N S I O N S The Four Poles

  7. Being intercultural: Coincides with the mission of the church Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 17:26-27 Corresponds to the nature of the Gospel 2 Corinthians 5:14-21; Galatians 3:28 Scriptural Ideals T E N S I O N S

  8. Being intercultural: Concurs with the nature of the Church Ephesians 2:11-22 Conveys a picture of multicultural worship Revelation 7:9-12 Scriptural Ideals T E N S I O N S

  9. The Ideal and the Real T E N S I O N S Acts 6 • The Ideal: Jewish and Greek widows should be treated with equal concern. • The Real: Greek deacons were appointed to ensure equal care.

  10. Doing and Defining T E N S I O N S Acts 15 • Do: Paul, Peter and others testified to the evidence of the Spirit in Gentile believers. • Define: After debate and discussion, the council of Jerusalem issued a clear statement explaining the definition of what this new intercultural church was to be.

  11. Resolve the Tensions T E N S I O N S • Dialogue between the “doers” and the “definers” when idealism meets realism. • Determine the non-negotiable values. • Prioritize the practical means to express those values.

  12. Questions for Discussion T E N S I O N S • What are the issues your leadership group is dealing with as a result of transitioning towards an intercultural church? How are they being addressed? • What are the non-negotiable values that are providing a foundation for your discussions? • Is there a healthy balance of idealism and realism in your decision making group?

  13. Learning Activity T E N S I O N S Identify an issue your church is facing as a result of transitioning towards being an intercultural church. Work through the questions on the Learning Activity worksheet.

  14. Conclusions T E N S I O N S • We must intentionally address the tensions being faced as cultures meet. • We must keep in mind the ideal as we struggle with the real and work to create definitions for what is experienced.

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